Catch me when I fall
by Moonwolflove
Summary: Life changes the moment they find a girl, left for death in some dark alleyway. Mahiru wouldn't be Mahiru if he didn't try to save her; knowing that the only way of doing so is by convincing Kuro. The girl, however, turns out to be an old acquaintance of the servamp and he's not particularly keen on turning her into a vampire. (Kuro x OC)
1. Painting of life and death

**Part 1**

 **Painting of life and death**

If there was anything Kuro hated wholeheartedly it was trouble. And he was quite the unlucky person for it was all that seemed to cross his path these days. From the dangerous Tsubaki to C3 and from C3 to his annoying younger brother Lawless. Sure, they were all a different kind of troublesome, but they were troublesome nonetheless. Even Mahiru was included in his mental list of troublesome things and persons. His name was written at the very end, beneath every other name, institution or thing that had once managed to annoy the hell out of Kuro.

Mahiru was a good person and his open, kind-hearted nature had made it rather easy for Kuro to like him. Over the months he had developed a certain fondness for the boy, which he treasured deep inside his heart. The fact that he felt that way, however, didn't take away that the teen was a magnet for everything that was even remotely dangerous or troublesome. And when he did attract anything of the sort, Kuro was thrown into it head-first.

Really, why was he always dragged into stuff he tried his best to avoid? Was it some evil twist of fate seeking to punish him? Because it certainly started to look like it.

He climbed out of Mahiru's backpack – relieved to see that the bright daylight had been replaced by darkness – and made himself comfortable on the boy's shoulder. He nuzzled his small head against the eve's neck, closed his eyes and sighed inaudibly.

It wasn't as if he didn't deserve it though. Fate sought out those whose hands were stained with blood and whose shoulders carried the heavy load of guilt. He knew that he met both criteria…deep down, somewhere at the edge between conscious and subconscious - he knew that what he had done was wrong…but he just couldn't and wouldn't admit it to himself.

As he walked down memory lane, the path of never-ending darkness that had been his life, situated in the gloomiest realms of his mind, he was suddenly disturbed by a new kind of sensation. The wavering scene of his dream pulsed with an unknown energy from a source he could not see. It was reality threatening to pull him back into its mess.

The puppet-like demon that was always following one step behind him was jumping around now, excited by the sudden change. "It seems that another one of your mistakes has caught up with you." It said, as it got a whiff of a painfully familiar smell coming through the cracks in Kuro's dream.

Kuro shot him a furious glance. He knew what the demon meant, but he himself did not consider it a mistake. Whatever he had done, had been done in the best of her interests.

"Shouldn't you be going back?" the demon teased as it spun around.

Kuro wanted to reply something along the line of "gladly", but decided against doing so. He wasn't entirely sure whether he really wanted to wake up. He knew what was awaiting him beyond the vague boundaries of his dreams, in that reality that caused him so much trouble. Like the demon, he had recognized the smell and it had promised little good.

He turned around and glanced towards the cracks, which grew larger and larger with every passing second. It seemed that he didn't have a choice. He had to wake up.

The moment his mind entered reality again everything around him seemed to pass by as if in a haze. His senses felt numbed and it took a few seconds before they regained their full strength, submerging him with the familiar smell, intensifying it and taking it to a whole new level.

He smelt the blood long before he could see it. A soft fragrance, warm and full of life…tinged with something sweet. It took control of his mind and opened the door to a room full of memories, showing him images of the owner – of her – taken in a time before he met Mahiru. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the pictures. He didn't want to go there. It was too painful.

Please, just go straight home, he thought. I can't deal with this. I just can't.

Honestly, wasn't it better to ignore situations like these? To run away instead of adding yet another layer of guilt and sorrow to an already cracked soul?

"Kuro? Are you alright?" Mahiru asked worriedly as he felt the little black cat tense up on his shoulder.

"Just tired," he replied in his usual bored voice. "Wake me up when we are home."

"You're always tired! Jeez, why am I even asking? You lazy vampire, I…huh?" Mahiru suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to the left. They were standing in front of a dark narrow alleyway. The shadows crept up to them, dark and ominous, but were unable to touch them in the circle of light created by the streetlamp.

"Did you hear that?" Mahiru asked, as he turned to face the dark place.

Of course Kuro had heard it. In the past few seconds he had fervently wished for Mahiru not to notice anything of what was going on in that alley, but it had been to no avail. Fate was once more confronting him with how terrible and agonizing it could be, forcing him to think about the past and to recall old feelings.

Oh, how he wished he could just sink away into the sweet depths of indifference…not having to care about any of the trouble this god-forsaken world brought him.

If only he could tell Mahiru that it had just been his imagination. Nothing more than a delusion of the mind. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

He kept quiet for a moment and then said: "Let's go home."

"Are you crazy?!" That was about the response Kuro had expected from the Eve. "It sounds as if someone is in dire need of help!" And with that the boy dashed off into the alleyway, Kuro holding onto his shoulder. The vampire cat closed his eyes, not willing to see what he already knew…not willing to accept that it was her.

Out of all people…why her?

* * *

It was pitch black in the alleyway and the more they advanced, the more the street lights started to fade. Mahiru carefully made his way through the darkness, moving around crates and other rubbish the small pathway was strewn with. He took his phone out of his pocket and held it out in front of him, using it as a flashlight. It wasn't much, but at least he could now see where he was going.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice cutting through the deafening silence.

The word had only just left his mouth when it was met with a soft moan. A few meters ahead, he could see a small figure lying on the ground in what seemed to be…a pool of blood?  
The amount of dark red liquid present in the alleyway froze Mahiru to his spot. There was so much of it and it was literally everywhere. His body was paralyzed; he could only stare at the scene before him...at this painting of life and death...entranced by the frightening beauty of it. He shook his head, pulled himself together and forced himself to walk over to the source of the blood. He knelt down next to the motionless figure and saw that it was a teenage girl, not much older than he was. Her eyes were open – she was still conscious despite the enormous loss of blood – and weakly stared up at him. They were a dark blue, coloured by the pain and fear that were inflicted upon her body and soul.

Mesmerizing was the first thought that sprung to Mahiru's mind. Her eyes spoke of a strength, a willpower, that could only be met with pure admiration.

Her glance shifted to a point beside his head. Mahiru realized that she was no longer looking at him, but at his shoulder.

"Ku…ro…," she brought out in a hoarse voice.

Kuro, who had pretended to be asleep all the while, couldn't ignore the sound of her voice. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. That was his first mistake. As his eyes connected with hers, he felt a harsh tug at his heart. He jumped down Mahiru's shoulder, hesitantly took a few steps towards her and lied down next to her arm.

"Do you know her?" Mahiru asked, sending a bewildered glance in his direction.

"I used to."

"Then how can you be so calm?! She's dying!" the boy yelled, as he finally seemed to snap out of the trance he had been in for the past half a minute. He pushed his hands against the wound in the girl's neck. The fragile pale skin had been ripped apart, blood gushing out in large streams of shining red. The teen almost lost it when he felt her heartbeat beneath his hands; the sickening pulse, mixed with the warm blood, made his stomach turn. His head started to feel light…he was on the verge of blackening out.

"It's for the best, believe me," Kuro said.

"What do you mean?! For the best? How can this be for the best? You have to help her!"  
Mahiru just couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Kuro sighed heavily. "What a pain."  
You don't understand, he thought.

"Kuro, please…you could just…"

The vampire glanced up, his eyes two seas of red seriousness. "I'm not going to do that if that's what you're thinking of. No way.""

"You have to!" Mahiru said stubbornly, as he tore off a piece of his shirt to press it against the gaping wound. "She doesn't have much time left." Those words instigated something in the girl for she suddenly grabbed Kuro's front paw, a look of pure horror written on her face. "I'm scared," she rasped. "D…don't…wa…want…to die."

Kuro looked genuinely troubled now.

"Kuro, I remember what you said about subclasses, but please…" Mahiru was on the verge of tears. The inability to help the girl was taking its toll on him. Did Kuro really expect of him to just sit there and do nothing? If the girl died, he would never be able to forgive himself. This was a scene he was all too familiar with and he knew that his heart would not be able to deal with another bad end.

"Kuro, please…if you ever even cared a second about her, then…"

Kuro shot him a glance. Mahiru swore that he could see a flash of anger in those red orbs, but it was quickly replaced again by the usual shine of boredom.

"Fine."

His soul was already ruined…there was no escape from it so why not make another mistake?

He turned into his human form and carefully pulled the girl against him. Her skin was awfully cold to the touch; a sharp contrast to the warm blood staining his hands and clothes, giving off that delicious smell. He tried to ignore it, bit back the age old desire to hurt. He was better than that…if only a little. He took over the cloth that Mahiru had used to stop the flow of the bleeding and pressed it against the girl's neck. She whimpered at the pressure and took hold of his jacket, holding on for dear life. Kuro was a bit flustered at that, but he didn't have the heart to move her hands. She looked so vulnerable…and so much in pain…it hurt him to look at her.

He brought his wrist to his mouth and bit down hard, just until he could taste his own blood. It dripped down his arm…this should be sufficient, he thought. The girl was hesitant when she was offered the blood, coughing up some of the red liquid the moment she had swallowed it.

It must taste really horrible to a human, he mused.

The girl did her best to keep it in though and soon the effects on her body began to show. The wound on her neck was healing. It became smaller with every drop of blood she swallowed. It was working. He took his wrist away, cradled her in his arms and looked into her dark blue eyes for what would be the last time.

"Go to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." The girl did as she was told; almost instantly sinking away in a deep sleep.

Mahiru, who had been watching the whole scene in utter silence and who had worry written all over his face, finally found the courage to break the silence. "Is she going to be okay?"

"If with okay you mean she's going to wake up as a vampire, then yes. She'll be fine," Kuro said, his voice blunt.

"Yes, well." Mahiru scratched the back of his head, not sure what else to say. "Uhm…we should take her home with us. I bet she'll be confused when she wakes up."

Kuro nodded silently, picked up the girl and carried her in his arms. As they walked home, there was no "what a pain" or "so troublesome" to be heard. The vampire did not complain, nor did he utter anything else that could be considered a word or sound. He followed behind Mahiru, who had decided to remain silent as well. It wasn't like him to stay quiet, but he felt that Kuro, who wasn't very talkative to begin with, didn't want to talk right now. In the deafening silence, Mahiru was at the mercy of his own thoughts, running at an unseen speed towards a faraway place full of worry. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy the girl had been saved. Vampire or not…he was relieved to know that she would live to see another day.

But Kuro seemed to think otherwise. Why wasn't he happy about it? That question bothered the Eve to no ends; the more he mulled it over, the farther away he seemed from an answer. Perhaps he had been wrong in asking to change her after all?

Notes from the author

Hi there! I'm Moonwolflove. Thanks for reading this first chapter of my new fanfic. It's been a long time since I last wrote something on and after reading the servamp manga (+ watching that gorgeous anime) I just couldn't help myself. I had to write a story about it. I do hope you like it so far (since I'm having one hell of a time writing it). As for now the story will focus on the girl and the two boys, but it will follow the anime/manga later on.

I'll do my best to keep the characters in character...and to give some depth to the girl (since I really don't want her to be Mary Sue-ish).  
Extra note: my native language isn't English (even though I would want it to be) so you might find some (even more than some) grammatical/ spelling mistakes in my work. Bear with me, please!


	2. Peaceful sleep

**Part 2**

 **Peaceful sleep**

Mahiru switched on the light in the apartment and closed the door after Kuro had entered. The servamp maneuvered his way through the small hallway…no easy task while carrying a sleeping girl in his arms. When they entered the living room, Mahiru's first idea was to lay the girl on the couch, but he quickly discarded the plan upon remembering that it was rather uncomfortable to sleep in. He scratched his chin in a thoughtful manner and then said aloud: "We could roll out one of the futons?"

"She can sleep in my bed. I don't need it," Kuro counteracted, shifting the girl in his arms. She made some soft noises and instinctively strengthened her grip on his jacket, after which she just continued her peaceful slumber.

"You can't sleep while in cat-form, Kuro."

"I can sleep in any form."

Mahiru wanted to hit himself in the head, feeling a little irritated at Kuro playing dumb. He knew damn well that that wasn't what he meant. Mahiru was well aware that the servamp of sloth, the very epitome of laziness and sleep, wouldn't make a point of sleeping while being in cat-form. He had done it many times before, hiding in the weirdest spots of the house; curled up into a little ball of fur.  
The teen had noticed that, from time to time, the vampire seemed to prefer his animal form to take a nap in. That's why he had left the cat basket where he had put it down the very first day…the day he found kitty Kuro. After discovering that his cat was…well…not quite the pet he seemed to be, he had planned to put it away, but after noticing Kuro's habit, he had decided against doing so. He didn't want him to sleep on the floor. Because that just didn't sit right with the Eve. Kuro wasn't human, but he wasn't an animal either. He should not have to sleep on the floor…hell…he shouldn't even be sleeping in a basket.

"I know but…," he started.

"Don't worry about me," Kuro mumbled, his eyes shifting from Mahiru to the girl.

 _Worry about her instead_ was what his glance seemed to say. Mahiru stared at her for a moment and then nodded in silent defeat. His partner was right…they had to think of the girl now. She was their top priority.

The two of them walked over to Kuro's room, which was situated at the end of the hall, opposite of Mahiru's own room. The teen didn't often enter the place because of Kuro's crazy ability to create a health-hazardous environment in less than a day. From time to time, he would do an effort and clean up the entire room; every nook and cranny. But since Kuro's mere presence was enough to turn it into a mess again, the results of his work never lasted long. He always had to restrain himself from cleaning it up again the day after, telling himself that he was not Kuro's housekeeper and that the vampire should learn to do it himself. It had cost him a lot of self-control, but he had learned to ignore it.

Well, that is…he had managed to ignore it up until the moment he set foot in the room once more. He felt a stinging sensation in his chest and for a moment he was quite sure he was going to die of a heart-attack.

"When did you last clean up this place?!" he practically yelled. He knew Kuro was too lazy to clean up, but really…he had thought – no he had hoped- that even someone like him would eventually see the benefits of a clean room.

"Too much of a pain," Kuro replied in his usual bored voice.

The place was dark and a complete mess…typical of Kuro to just ignore all the litter and rubbish lying around. "That lazy vampire", Mahiru thought, sighing mentally. "He'll never learn." Perhaps the teen should give it one more try…vacuuming would do a lot already…but that was a problem he would deal with later on. There were more important things to tend to now. He walked over to Kuro's bed and was about to pull back the covers when a sudden thought hit him.

"Wait, what about her clothes?" he asked, before Kuro got the chance to lay the girl down.

"Aah, that's troublesome," the vampire said, obviously disturbed by the unspoken idea. The girl's clothes were dripping with blood…she couldn't possibly sleep like that. But that would mean…

"Jeez…we can't strip her of her clothes, can we? That would be awkward." The teen scratched the back of his neck and then said: "But we can't leave it like that either…" Kuro sighed and then nodded into the direction of his closet. "There's a towel and some clean clothes in there. She can use those for now?"

"Sounds like a good plan," Mahiru said, a bit surprised that Kuro came up with something useful. He grabbed the things they needed and spread the towel over the bed, so that the servamp could finally lay the girl down.

"Now what?" the latter asked.

"Yes, well, this is going to be really awkward."

"Can't deal." 

***Time skip**

A few awkward minutes and a lot of hidden blushes later, the boys had managed to strip the girl of her ruined clothes (the upper layer of course) and put her into clean ones without waking her up. Mahiru had washed of some of the blood of her arms and legs and had only just finished tucking her in like a little child. The girl stirred in her sleep, grabbed the pillow that lay next to her and moved to lie on her side; continuing her peaceful sleep. Kuro watched her for a moment and then said to Mahiru: "I'm going to take a shower. Can't deal with all the blood."

The Eve nodded understandingly. Kuro looked as if he had just slaughtered someone. The blue of his jacket was beyond recognizable, stained by large dark red spots, accompanied by the horrible smell of iron. The rest of his clothes weren't better off…he looked absolutely terrible.

"Put your clothes in the laundry. I'll try to clean them later on. Take some of mine in the meanwhile…since you have no spare clothes left."

"Yeah, thanks, mom," Kuro muttered as he sauntered out of the room.

"Don't call me that!"

"Whatever."

Mahiru took one last glance at the girl, who was now snoring softly, and then left to go sit in the living room. He could use a shower himself…the blood on his hands had dried and become sticky. His shirt was ruined beyond repair and his trousers were smeared with blood. To put it simple…his clothes –and Mahiru himself – had seen better days.

He vowed his hands together, not willing to look at the red that stained them, and left his thoughts to drift back to the girl, sleeping only a few meters away. What had happened to her? Had she been attacked by a vampire? The way in which she was attacked certainly pointed in the direction of one…a very vicious one on top of that. Really, what else could have caused such an ugly wound? It had to be a vampire, right? Perhaps one of Tsubaki's subclass?

He pondered the question for a while, but since he knew too little about Tsubaki's subclass, he gave up on it fairly quickly. His thoughts drifted back to a question that was perhaps the most important of them all. Who was she to Kuro? She had recognized him, which meant that they had to have met before. Did she mean something to him? Because he had seemed quite contrary to the idea of changing her. Mahiru really had to coax him into doing it…and he was happy that the servamp had listened to him. The girl would not have deserved to die…not in a way like that…not like an animal on the streets.

He didn't understand Kuro's initial reaction, but since the vampire had seemed to accept the girl's fate, Mahiru didn't have the heart to bring up the whole ordeal. Perhaps they had a past together…perhaps there was a good reason as to why he didn't want to change her…why he had wanted her to die instead.

There had to be…because he couldn't believe that Kuro was that heartless.

He didn't **want** to believe it.

To Mahiru the girl was an enigma. He did not knew the slightest thing about her…not even something as simple as a name.

A frightening thought entered his mind. What if he had acted recklessly?

His thoughts were interrupted by Kuro coming out of the bathroom. His blue hair had been dried with a towel, causing it to stick up to all sides. He pulled at the black shirt Mahiru had lend him and then said in a lazy tone: "Just realized that you're a freaking midget. Barely fit in your clothes."

"I'm not a midget! Buy some more spare clothes if you have a problem with mine!"

"Nah, too troublesome. This will do," Kuro yawned, as he turned into his cat-form and jumped onto the couch, taking the spot next to the Eve.

"Yeah, well. I think I'm going to take a shower as well."

Kuro was already dozing off, mumbling a short "yeah, yeah" before going completely quiet. Mahiru shook his head in slight disbelief and then quickly made his way towards the bathroom. He couldn't wait to get rid of all the blood. 

***Time skip**

When Mahiru put his head down on his pillow he realized that he was more tired than he had initially thought. The incident with the girl had worn him out, both physically and mentally, and the fact that he had not slept well the previous day – the encounter with the greed pair had kept him awake at night – didn't help much. He threw a sideway glance at Kuro, who was laying in his wooden basket next to Mahiru's bed, snoring softly. As he watched the servamp sleep, it suddenly hit Mahiru that he had to care for the girl after all…he gave up his own comfort for her. Mahiru smiled at the thought, closed his heavy-lidded eyes and sunk away in a deep and peaceful slumber.

When Kuro was sure that his Eve was asleep, he jumped out of the basket, landing quietly on the floor. He padded to the door, which Mahiru always kept ajar and crept towards the room on the opposite side of the hall. He put his weight against the door, pushing it open without as much as a noise. Inside, the girl was still sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and steady. Kuro turned into his human form, bent over her and carefully pulled back the collar of her shirt, revealing smooth pale skin. The wound had fully recovered; no traces to be seen of the traumatic bleeding that had happened only a few hours earlier. She was doing fine.

Kuro felt relieved…there was no other word to describe the sensation that ran through his body. It felt as if a huge weight – which had controlled every thought and feeling he had experienced in the last few hours - had been lifted of his shoulders. He could finally breath without having to worry about her.

He glanced over his shoulder and looked at the door for a moment, briefly considering to leave, before changing his mind. He turned back into a cat, sought out a warm spot next to the girl and curled up into a little ball of fur. 

***Time skip**

When Mahiru woke up the next morning he was surprised to find that Kuro was no longer in his basket. The servamp never woke up before Mahiru did. Never. The teen always had to drag him out of his bed, yelling and scolding, while Kuro put up a faint protest in response.

This was a very unusual thing for Kuro to do and it set off something alarming inside of Mahiru. As an Eve, he instantly felt vulnerable when his servamp wasn't by his side. There was a certain restlessness inside of his heart; a deep desire to find out where he was.

Mahiru climbed out of bed and walked towards the living room, excepting to find the vampire sitting in front of the television with a cup of ramen. His expectations, however, weren't met for Kuro was nowhere to be seen. The living room was shrouded in a deafening silence, which only caused the semi-nervous feeling Mahiru was experiencing to grow stronger.

Where did he go?

He…wait.

Mahiru turned towards the hall as another thought crossed his mind. Did he perhaps go to check on the girl? The Eve ran to the end of the hall and opened the door to Kuro's room, peeping inside. The place was still dark due to the curtains being closed, but Mahiru could clearly see the small figure of kitty Kuro lying against the back of the girl, curled up and sleeping soundly. The eerie feeling Mahiru had felt faded away upon the sight of him and a small smile appeared on his lips. He closed the door again and returned to his room; feeling relieved and happy at the same time.

Kuro definitely cared about the girl. That he knew for sure now…

 **Notes from the author**

And that's the end of chapter two! I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Also, if there are any questions, then shoot…I'll be happy to answer them (except when they deal with the storyline, because I'm not going to spoil anything sorry). Okay, maybe one tiny little spoiler…the girl is going to wake up in the next chapter (surprise surprise) so we should get some interaction then.  
About the length of the chapters…I know that they are not that long, but I noticed that I tend to write more regularly if the chapters are shorter (keeps me motivated, I guess).  
I would also like to thank all of you for the reviews and for faving/following this story. I greatly appreciate all the feedback I receive.

Well, that's it for today. Until next time.


	3. That's all I need

**Part 3**

 **That's all I need**

Kuro woke up when he heard a soft gasp, followed by a lot of frantic movement. He stretched his legs and yawned, a little bit annoyed by the lack of timing the girl displayed. She had woken up right in the middle of his nap and his dream – the ultimate quest for the perfect pillow – was once again interrupted. He guessed it just wasn't meant to be.

"Where…where am I?" her soft voice asked, betraying a light form of panic underneath. "Why is it so dark? What happened to me?"

In one of her movements, the girl's hand accidentally brushed against Kuro's back, causing her to go crazy a nanosecond later. "Aaah, what's that! Get away from me!" In her haste to get away from whatever her imagination thought Kuro to be, she became tangled in the bedsheets and fell out of the bed, landing on the floor with a hard thud.

Kuro moved to the side and looked down on the half-vampire, half cocoon thing, desperately rolling around to free herself. She really seemed as if she was going to die of a panic-attack (that is…if she had been able to die at all).

She needed to calm down…really…what better than a cute cat to comfort her?

Kuro jumped down, meowed softly and brushed past the girl's arm. She went completely silent for a moment, her movements stopping altogether and her breathing the only noise in the room.

"Kuro?"

He nudged her hand, signaling that it was indeed him. The girl let out a sigh of relief; there was some more movement, followed by two warm hands picking him up. "What are you doing here?" her voice asked softly, as her fingers stroke his head tenderly.

Only mere seconds after the question, Mahiru entered the room. He had heard the noise and was worried that something bad had happened. He found the girl, sitting on the floor, half of her body entangled in the bedsheets; a somewhat bewildered look in her eyes. She was staring at him like a deer in the headlights…scared. She held Kuro in her arms, clinging to him for dear life.

"He's probably the only thing familiar to her," he thought. Somehow…she knew him.

"Wh…who are you?" the girl stuttered.

"That's Mahiru," Kuro yawned before Mahiru could introduce himself. "He won't hurt you."

"He talks!" the girl yelled, abruptly letting go of the tiny cat. Kuro fell on his back on the bedsheets.

"Cat-abuser," he murmured. "What a pain." He wasn't serious about it though. He knew that talking to her while in cat-form would lead to such a reaction…she had always believed that he was a cat. The illusion was finally shattered.

"Again! Am I dreaming? Is this one of my weird dreams I can't wake up from?" She put her hands to the sides of her head, staring at the ground.

"Uhm…this is not a dream," Mahiru said as he took a few careful steps towards her, crouching down next to her small figure.

"Why don't you come and sit in the living room with us? I'll make you some tea and then we'll explain everything to you, okay?" He sent her a small reassuring smile and reached out a hand. The girl stared at him for a moment and then cautiously took his hand.

* * *

The girl sat on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest and one of the blankets loosely draped around her. Kuro sat next to her, fully awake for once, and stared at her with his big red orbs. The girl stared right back at him and then said: "So…you actually talk, right? It's not me going crazy?"

"You're not crazy," he said as he laid down, wagging his tail a bit.

The girl gasped in surprise.

"But you lived with me…how come I've never heard you talk before?"

Kuro sighed. This was going to be so troublesome to explain.

Luckily for him, Mahiru came in with three cups of steaming tea. He offered one to the girl, who took it with a grateful smile and then took a sip of his own cup. He had placed Kuro's on the table.

"Don't you want yours, Kuro?" He asked, when he saw that Kuro didn't move an inch.

Kuro rolled on his back and said: "Just don't want to scare miss panic over here. Not sure if she would survive another surprise…such a fragile mind."

"Hey! I'm not fragile!" she countered immediately, sending him a sour look.

Kuro eyed her for a moment. "Fine with me."

In the blink of an eye, the cat was gone, his place taken by vampire Kuro. The girl froze in her spot, her eyes growing wide at the transformation that had appeared before her. Kuro leaned in close to her, their noses almost touching. "Boo."

The girl instinctively threw herself backwards and fell off the couch, landing ungracefully next to it. She quickly hid behind it, her eyes peeping over the edge to spy on Kuro.

"Oi, are you alright?" Mahiru asked worriedly as he jumped up with the intention to calm the girl down. She ignored him entirely and kept her eyes fixed on Kuro, who stared back at her with a blank expression. He could practically see the chaos of thoughts inside her pretty little head…it was present in every aspect of her face.

"You…," she pointed at the servamp. "I let you sleep in my bed! For two whole damn years! How come I didn't notice this?" She turned around and slumped against the couch, her head in her hands. "This is not happening…I must be dreaming. Wake up, just wake up already." She pinched herself in the cheek, without result.

"Told you she wouldn't survive it," Kuro said. Was that a hint of amusement in his voice?

"This is ridiculous. I mean…I can't deal with this."

Mahiru looked at Kuro for a moment, who already knew what the Eve was going to say.

"She sounds like you. Some kind of side effect?"

"Nah, that's just her."

"What are you talking about?! Don't go talking behind my back! I'm right here and I demand to know what's going on!"

"Just calm down first," Kuro said, leaning over the edge of the couch and softly patting the girl's head. He turned into a cat and jumped on her shoulder. The girl was a bit flustered at first, but soon realized that neither Kuro, nor Mahiru meant her any harm. She scooped up the little cat so that she could look him in the eyes. "You've got one hell of an explaining to do."

"Can't deal," Kuro groaned, closing his eyes.

"Don't you dare to go to sleep now!"

Mahiru scratched the back of his neck as he took in the scene before him. It kind of remembered him of the bickering between him and Kuro…he just didn't remember it to be that comical.

"Do I really have to? Can't you just be soothed by my cute form?"

The girl huffed, looking away as a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "You're not that cute."

"Ah, ah…don't go contradicting yourself now," Kuro said.

"That was before I knew that you could talk and change into a human!"

"Well…technically, he's not human," Mahiru chimed in the background. The girl gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Seriously? More surprises…not sure if I can deal with those." She sighed, inhaled deeply and then said in a calm voice: "Okay, shoot…all of it." With those words she shot an expecting glance in Kuro's direction.

"Where to start?" Kuro yawned.

"Why don't you sit down on the couch…again…it's more comfortable, right?" Mahiru offered.

* * *

"So…you're a vampire and he has to take care of you?"

"Actually, it's supposed to be the other way around," Mahiru said, some sweat drops gliding down his face.

"I see, why doesn't that surprise me?" she muttered, while absent-mindedly stroking Kuro's head. He had made himself comfortable in her warm arms, purring softly.

"I'm really sorry, Mahiru. But what does this have to do with me? Except for the fact that my ex-pet is a servamp?"

Mahiru sent her a questioned look. "You don't remember the attack?"

"What attack?" she asked with a frown.

Mahiru felt like hitting himself in the head at the absurdity of the whole situation. How come she didn't remember anything of the incident?

Kuro cracked open an eye to look at Mahiru and then stated: "She has temporarily lost those memories. When you experience something as traumatic as that, every memory of it is repressed."

"Well, that sounds logical, I think," the teen said. "When will they return?" Not that he was looking forward to it…he didn't want the girl to have to experience something like that ever again.

"Don't know," Kuro said, not sounding too interested in it either. "Today, tomorrow, next week or month…who knows."

"Don't know," Kuro said, not sounding to interested in it either. "Today, tomorrow, next week or month…who knows."

"Okay, uh…wait, what's your name? Can't believe I forgot to ask you that."

"Eirin. Eirin Shirai."

"Eirin, it's very important that you listen carefully…and that you try your best not to freak out."

Eirin's face fell when she heard those words. What else was there to freak out about?

"Okay," she said, her voice heavy and wary.

"Last night, Kuro and I found you in an alleyway. You were severely wounded…on the edge of dying."

The girls eyes grew wide in disbelief. How could she have been on the edge of dying when she was sitting here…alive and well?

"I know that this sounds absolutely ridiculous, since you obviously feel good, but listen…there's a reason as to why you're still alive."

"Can't deal," Kuro muttered, hiding his head under her arm.

"When a vampire gives his blood to a dying person, the person is saved by turning into a vampire himself."

In the moments that followed, a loud noise broke through the deafening silence. The sound of shattering porcelain, breaking down as it met with the ground, shards scattering around everywhere. Streams of tears flown down the girl's face…her eyes broken and filled with sorrow.

"No, it can't be. I…" Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, the rest of her body following shortly after. Kuro jumped out of her arms, landing next to her and looking up with a look of worry in his red eyes.

"Eirin," Mahiru said as he reached out a hand.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, as she flinched away from him. She jumped up and ran away, frantically looking for the front door. She had to get out…to get away from this maddening place as far as possible. She found the door, swung it open and ran.

"Eirin!" Mahiru was already on his feet, ready to follow her. Kuro changed into his human form and grabbed his Eve's wrist, bringing him to a stop. "Mahiru, wait."

"I can't…what if she accidentally hurts herself?"

Kuro stared at him for a moment, seemingly considering what he had said, and then let go. "Fine." He knew Mahiru…he wouldn't be able to stop him from helping her anyway. There was no use in trying.

"Okay, I'll go left, you go right. Call me when you've found her. And don't go too far away." Kuro watched Mahiru run off. He waited till his Eve was out of sight and then turned around, slowly walking away into the opposite direction, following the invisible thread that lay in front of him. From the moment the girl became his subclass, he had been able to feel her presence. It manifested itself as a warm, fuzzy feeling, somewhere at the back of his mind, directly linked to his heart.

He didn't know how this feeling was possible in the first place, since bonds that deep were only ever forged between Servamps and Eves, never between Servamps and their subclass. What could be the cause of that sudden difference? Why would she be different of any other person turned into a subclass?

It was a question that hammered through his mind, demanding an answer. But as much as he thought of it, he couldn't come up with a plausible explanation. There were still a lot of things about his own race that he didn't knew – he stumbled across them from time to time - and this probably was one of them. Anyway, the fact that there was connection between him and the girl was a convenient thing. It meant he would find her, wherever she went.

He only had to follow the thread.

And it ran up the staircase, situated at the end of the apartment hall, all the way up to the top floor.

"Ah, what at pain", Kuro thought, as he started to climb the stairs.

On the roof, a cold summer breeze caught him in its embrace, filling his ears with its silent melancholic song; a song befitting the mood the girl was in. He could feel the distress and the pain radiating from her. She was near.

The night sky was lighted by thousands of stars, the colourful city lights shining in the world below. In the pale moonlight he could see the small figure of Eirin, sitting on the edge of the roof, her knees pulled up to her chest and her cheeks wet with tears.

"Go away," she said without looking at him.

For a moment, Kuro felt like leaving. She deserved to be angry with him…to hate him. If he had just been a bit more stubborn then she wouldn't have to go through this hell right now. She would have been better off dead, right?

But then again…she wasn't. She was sitting right in front of him, her beating heart proof of her being fully alive, and her mind consumed by chaos. She didn't know how to deal with all of this. Not with the news, nor with herself. Right now, she resembled him more than anyone else.

"This is going to be troublesome," he thought as he walked over and sat down next to her. She sharply turned to face him and said: "Are you deaf, Kuro?"

"Selectively," he replied in a dry tone and without looking at her.

She huffed and turned her head away. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I get that."

"You do?" she replied sarcastically. "Really, I don't feel like joking right now. I'm leaving."

She stood up, ready to leave.

"Stay."

"What?" She looked down at him, a frown on her face.

"Stay here."

"Just because you turned me into a monster, doesn't mean that you can command me. I'm done here." Her voice was furious, a blazing stream of poisoned words. She turned around and started to stomp away, barely able to suppress another stream of tears, pricking behind her eyes.

"You think I actually enjoyed destroying your life?" Kuro's voice had gone cold, like frost in winter. "You would have been better off dead. It would have certainly been less troublesome for you than it is now."

Eirin turned around, disbelief written all over her face and a shade of hurt clearly visible in her eyes.

"First you leave me and now you're wishing me dead?"

"Ah, you're so troublesome." He was sure he could feel a headache coming. He got up, walked over to her and leaned in close. "I'm not wishing you dead. What I'm trying to say is…that I didn't want this for you."

The girl looked up at him, her red eyes vulnerable and on the verge of crying.

"You…didn't…I…," she sunk down on her knees and let the tears flow. "I'm sorry…I know I'm unreasonable…I know I'm troublesome…I just can't…I don't know how to deal with this. I…I…feel lost."

Well, true to be honest, he felt lost too…in many different ways and because of many diverse reasons. She was one of those reasons. He was supposed to take responsibility for this girl, but the world knew that responsibility wasn't his forte. Whenever he got it, he messed up. Terribly.  
He was the kind of person that followed others, not the other way around. Mahiru was much better in these kinds of things than he was and ever would be. If only he was here now…what would he say or do?

He scratched the back of his neck as he thought about it and then crouched down next to Eirin.

"Talk to me. Like you used to do back then."

The girl wiped a few tears away and then said, a little surprised: "You were listening…back then?"

"Most of the time, except for the really troublesome moments."

She let out a soft chuckle as she wiped away all the remaining tears with her sleeve. "Thanks, Kuro. That's all I need."

Kuro was a little surprised to hear that. Had he really managed to do something good for once? Had it really been all she needed? The knowledge that someone was willing to listen to her?

A slight blush spread across his cheeks when he caught sight of the grateful smile she sent him. He quickly changed back into his cat-form, hoping that she hadn't seen it, and then said: "Yeah, well…you're welcome, I guess."

She chuckled, picked him up and let him climb on her shoulder. The fact that she allowed him to do so was a sign of trust; he just felt it was. He closed his eyes for a moment, relieved at the current state of affairs. Everything was alright for now. His job was done…well…for today that was.

God…that reminded him: all the fuss had caused him to miss out on diner!

"Can we go and eat some ramen now?"

 **Notes from the author**

*Of course you can have some ramen, Kuro. You deserve it.*

So...this is the end of chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it (let me know what you think of it). I know that there are some things that still need to be explained (for example: What's Eirin's past with Kuro? Or...why does Eirin call Kuro by his given name, like LethalLauren pointed out. Thanks a lot for the review, btw. Really, I want thank everyone who has supported this story up till now...I greatly appreciate it! ) ). I'm not going to spoil anything...sorry about that. Everything will eventually become clear in the following chapters.

Now...about those following chapters...I'm in university and the academic year starts on monday...which means that I'll have less time to write (especially the first three days). Don't worry, it won't take too long before the next chapter will be up. I promise. Stay tuned :)

Also...Do you like the girl's name? I spent a lot of time searching for a name that would fit her and I eventually came across Eirin. In Japanese it means "Eternal Jewel" (the name is widely spread though...also found in Scandinavian and quite a few other cultures). It fits her rather well, but you'll see what I mean by that in the future.


	4. You can sleep in my bed

**Part 4**

 **You can sleep in my bed**

Mahiru felt truly exhausted when he returned home. He had run around the neighbourhood, looking for Eirin, and had not missed a single street or suspicious looking alley while doing so. He had run and run, until his lungs had started to put up a protest with every step he took.

But despite his efforts, he had not been able to find the girl. Needless to say that he was worried now. Where could she have run to? He put his hands on his knees and tried to control his frantic breathing. It felt as if his lungs would burst out of his chest at any moment…a thick layer of sweat covered his forehead. He straightened himself and thought of what he was supposed to do now. He had no idea where Kuro ran off to, nor if he had managed to find the girl. He knew he shouldn't rely too much on the servamp, though. He was probably taking a nap somewhere while pretending to search.

He opened the door to his apartment and walked inside, surprised to hear the sound of the TV playing. When he got into the living room, he found Kuro and Eirin sitting in front of the television; both eating a package of instant ramen. Mahiru experienced a weird kind of déjà vu before bursting into a fit of rage.

"You guys can't be serious! You were here all the time?!"

The noise caught the attention of the two vampires, who both turned their heads in his direction; one looked surprised, the other bored.

"I was running around like crazy…what for?" Mahiru tried to calm himself, but he failed miserably at it. Right now, he felt like tearing his hair out. "I said…give me a call when you find her." That last was directed at Kuro.

"Yeah, I forgot about it," Kuro said, not looking as if he felt guilty about it.

"God, for what purpose did I ever buy you a phone?" The fact that Kuro was almost always with him had made it quite an useless purchase…but it had been meant for rare situations like these.

"It's useless, can't play any games on it."

"Kuro!"

"Uh…Mahiru?" Eirin appeared into his view; her pale face a pallet of guilt. "I, uh…I know this will sound a bit…wrong for me to say, after what I've done, but I really want to apologize for the trouble I've caused you and Kuro. You guys tried to help me and I was just being selfish and sinking away in self-pity." She made a bow and said: "Please accept my sincere apol…"

"Woah, you don't have to bow!" Mahiru said, shocked at the gesture.

She looked up and then straightened. "I felt it was appropriate…"

"Really, it isn't necessary. I accept your apologies, Eirin. And sorry for my little outburst… I was just…"

"Worried, I get it," she said, putting a hand on his arm and sending him a soft smile. He smiled in return; feeling relieved to know that she understood what he meant.

"Mahiru is apologizing…that's a first," Kuro said as he took another bite of his food. "You're a good influence."

"Hey!"

"You know what," Eirin said, cutting of the bickering before it even started. "As a way of apology, I'll make you dinner, Mahiru."

"You don't have to trouble yourself, Eirin."

"It's no trouble at all," she said with a bright smile. The idea of doing something useful for him made her feel better right away.

"Can you make me some too?" Kuro chimed in the background.

"You're already eating, Kuro," Eirin said with a grin in his direction.

"Meanie."

"It's nice not having to cook dinner for once," Mahiru thought as he laid down on the couch, resting a bit. Having Eirin around was a nice change to the usual daily routine…he had thought different of her when she had ran away though…and now he regretted the very existence of that thought. Troublesome was not the way to describe her. She was just going through a very difficult time right now and she needed people whom she could trust and whom she could run to. Mahiru intended to be one of those people…and he was quite sure that Kuro thought the same. After all, he seemed to like her a lot.

Which reminded him: he really had to ask Kuro about his past with the girl. She had mentioned that he had been her pet…that she let him sleep in her bed for two years…which had to mean that he stayed with her for quite a long time, right?

"Oi, Kuro…," he sat up, ready to ask the servamp, but he was nowhere to be seen.

From the kitchen he could hear Kuro's voice saying: "Don't you need someone to sample the food?"

"Are you volunteering?" Eirin asked, her voice tingled with laughter. "Don't worry, Kuro. I've made some for you too."

Mahiru smiled at the conversation. She seemed to know Kuro's quirks already.

"Here you go. I do hope it will be edible," she said as she put two plates on the table with delicious smelling food.

"Thanks for the food!" Mahiru said enthusiastically. "I bet it will be great!"

"No bets needed," Kuro said.

"That's sweet, guys. But you'd better get started before it gets cold."

The boys did as they were told, eating in silence. Eirin ate something as well, but just as with the ramen she had had before, she noticed that the food tasted rather bland…as if she couldn't fully enjoy the different flavours of it. What was wrong with her? Was this something normal for a vampire? Kuro didn't seem to have the problem…if he had it too, he wouldn't be so keen to eat, right? She decided that she would ask him…yeah, she would ask him later on. For now she just wanted to enjoy their silent company and this feeling of normal simplicity.

"So…uhm…Eirin. I don't want to be rude, but it's getting really late already and well…I was wondering…uhm…not sure how to say this…"

"He wants to know whether you are staying over or not," Kuro said in his usual blunt way.

"Kuro, don't say it that way!"

"Honestly, I hadn't thought of it yet…I don't really know what to do now that I'm…" The word got stuck in her throat…it was really hard to say it aloud, because it sounded so unreal. "…a vampire." She had to accept it…there was no other way.

"What about your parents? Wouldn't they be worried now that you've been gone for almost 24 hours?" Mahiru asked.

"She lives alone," Kuro said in the background. Upon hearing his words, Mahiru sent her a questioned look.

This was a topic she had really wanted to avoid talking about, but she had to tell him at least the gist of the awful story. The outcome of it.

"My parents died a few years ago. I live on my own now. My aunt was so kind to support me up until the moment I was old enough to look for work."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"You look younger though…if I may say so," Mahiru remarked, leaning his head on his hand.

"Yeah, I've heard that before," she said, not able to recall anyone in particular.

Mahiru nodded; his face had taken on a glance of worry. "Work might become a problem though…as a vampire, you can't go out during the day."

She frowned; not fully believing what she was told.

"It's true…no sunlight," Kuro asserted with a yawn.

"But…you can go out at day, can't you?" she asked him.

"Yeah, because I'm an original one…and I can only go out in cat-form."

"Damn…this is quite…inconvenient….still don't know how I'll ever be able to deal with all of this." The chances of ever living a pretty normal live again had disappeared like snow before the sun.

"Don't worry, Eirin. You can stay with us…if you don't mind, that is," Mahiru added in a thoughtful tone.

"That's really kind, but I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not a bother! Don't think that!" Mahiru said, indignantly.

She shrugged half-heartedly. She just didn't want to intrude on their lives.

"We just have to find you a place to sleep in."

"You can sleep in my bed," Kuro said, while stretching a bit.

"Kuro, don't put it that way! She's a girl after all!" Mahiru yelled; looking as if he was only seconds away from hitting the vampire on the head.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"I'll roll out a futon," Mahiru said, moving to get to the task.

"Then put it in my room. I'll sleep on it."

"Kuro, you really don't have to do that," Eirin began, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Why not? I don't mind.

"Aah…if you insist." She said, while scratching the back of her head.

"I do," he said, after which he turned into a cat. "Don't argue with a cute pet." She rolled her eyes in an exaggerating manner, but bent down to pick him up only seconds later, holding him in her warm embrace. "Thank you." Her voice was soft and audible to Kuro only. He purred in response, laid his head on her shoulder and dozed off…

 **Notes from the author**

Hi there! I'm back with a new chapter! It's a short one (because the academic year started last monday and I've been busy with university in the past few days). Also, I really want to thank you all for reviewing, following and favouriting...I always try to thank everyone personally, but last week there was some kind of glitch which prevented me from seeing new reviews on my story...this has, luckily, been solved already. Just wanted to let you guys know.

Now, what did you think of this chapter? There weren't that much KuroxEirin moments but I'll make up for those in the next chapters :) Promise!


	5. Don't blame yourself

**Part 5**

 **Don't blame yourself**

Before moving in, Eirin had taken up the task of cleaning up Kuro's room. Actually, making the place livable again would have been a better description of what she had been doing for the past few hours. She had told Mahiru about her plans and the boy had almost died of happiness. Finally, fate had managed to get him to cross paths with someone else who couldn't stand dirt. Eirin wasn't as obsessive about it like him, but in comparison to Kuro – who just didn't care – she seemed like some cleaning goddess.

Eirin had organized Kuro's stuff (which hadn't been all that much) and had thrown away all the rubbish. Kuro himself hadn't put up much of a protest…he had gone to sleep as soon as the cleaning had begun and – non-surprisingly – only woke up when most of the work was done.

"What's with humans cleaning up all the time?" He yawned as he got up and took a good look at the room, which was tidied up to a point where he didn't recognize it anymore.

"I'm not human, remember," Eirin said, as she folded Kuro's washed clothes, pilling them with neat precision. "So you're the exception here."

"What a pain. Can't deal," he said, as he rolled onto his back.

"You really did wonders with this place," Mahiru said in admiration, as he maneuvered his way into the room, while carrying a rolled-up futon with him. "It's a pity it won't stay this way, though." A slight nod in Kuro's direction was enough to indicate what he meant with that.

"No worries, we'll keep this place clean. Right, Kuro?"

"Don't just include me like that," he said in a bored and uninterested voice. She folded her arms and shot him a glare, which caused him to reformulate his previous comment almost immediately.

"Ah, fine with me."

Eirin put her hands on her hips and smiled triumphantically.

"Really? You listen to her, but not to me? I'm your Eve, for God's sake," Mahiru complained.

"Ah, this is becoming troublesome again," Kuro groaned, as he made himself as small as possible, wishing he could just disappear altogether.

"Men always obey women…they are scared of the consequences," Eirin said with a grin in Mahiru's direction. The teen sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and muttered something along the line of: "Not sure whether that's the reason, but okay…" Eirin could put up quite a scary face, but he could hardly imagine Kuro being afraid of her or the consequences she had had in mind. He might have just said it to keep her happy…things were less troublesome that way after all.

He put the futon down on the floor and took some blankets out of the closet to put on the make-shift bed. When he was done, he motioned for Kuro to come over. The cat gladly obliged and jumped from one bed onto the other. "Ah, so soft and comfortable. I could sleep right away."

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Mahiru said. "Will you be okay, Eirin? You don't mind having to share a room with him…I mean…since you're a girl?"

"Nah, Kuro used to sleep in my bed when he was still my pet…I don't mind him being here. And besides, he's quite the gentleman…wouldn't hurt a fly."

"See? Girls love me," Kuro yawned.

"Yeah, but you could have told me you were a vampire though."

"You would have banned me from your bed," he whined in response.

Mahiru listened to the conversation, but still couldn't get his head around most of what they were saying. It was about time he asked them about the past they shared. "So…uhm…when did you two meet?" He wasn't able to hide the curiosity in his voice. He sat down on the futon and pulled Kuro into his lap, stroking his head and gently scratching behind his ears. The chances of him running away in order to avoid the topic had become non-existent now. After all, what lazy cat preferred running away over snuggling? He looked up, noticing the change in atmosphere that had descended upon them. A deafening silence had taken hold of the room and the people within it. Eirin's face was painted with colorless sadness, but it only showed for a fraction of a second before disappearing into nothing. The look that replaced the strong emotion was a reminiscent one, as if she was recalling something that happened a very long time (not a mere two years) ago. It was so different from the sorrowful look seconds earlier that Mahiru couldn't help but think he had imagined things.

"Ah, well. I guess it was about three years ago. I was out to buy something from the store around the corner, when I found him, hiding under a wooden crate. It had been freezing cold…rain had been pouring down all day…When I saw him, all alone and in a miserable state, I just didn't have the heart to leave him there. I tried to keep him warm and took him home with me. And that's how we ended up together. As for his name…I called him Kuro because of his fur."

"Yes, I already wondered why you called him by the name I gave him," Mahiru said in a thoughtful tone.

"That's because you both have the same creativity level," Kuro muttered, as he stretched a bit. "Level zero."

"It's not the most original name, but it's simple. And simple is good," Eirin said in defense. "And besides, I like "Kuro". It has a nice roll to it." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I would like to go to sleep. It's been quite an exhausting day and I feel like I could really use a good nap."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Mahiru said, as he put Kuro down beside him. The vampire cat protested a bit, missing the warmth and the petting.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," Eirin declared. "Thanks for lending me some clothes…even though I really don't want to know how I got in them in the first place." She tried not to think of it…her head just wasn't ready to deal with the amount of awkwardness and shameful blushes such thoughts might bring her.

"Ah, yes,…let's not talk about that," Mahiru said, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Yeah…well…anyway…I'm going to get some of my stuff tomorrow…so that I can return these." She said, while pulling at the loose-fitting shirt. "Goodnight, Mahiru." With those words she ran off to the bathroom, leaving Mahiru and Kuro alone. When he was sure she was out of hearing range, the Eve turned towards the servamp, asking the one question that had been lying on his tongue for a while. "Why did you leave her?"

Kuro, who had been dozing off, cracked open an eye and sent his Eve a confused look.

"What?"

"Why did you leave Eirin?" I mean…I found you in the streets…which means there has to have been a point where you decided to leave her. Why? From what she told earlier it sounded as if she looked after you rather well."

"Being a vampire is hard to hide."

"You didn't really care to hide it with me."

"Ah, you're such a pain," Kuro mumbled; irritation clearly audible in his voice. "I didn't want her to know about me…it would only have caused her trouble…"

"She would have been a fine Eve though."

"You're fine too so it doesn't matter," Kuro said, as he turned his back to Mahiru, indicating that the conversation was over. The teen felt that Kuro was hiding something with regard to Eirin…and Eirin herself seemed to be in the dark as to why he had left her. Why else would she cut off her story at such a convenient point? Mahiru didn't want to pry, but he couldn't help but feel curious. He stood up and decided that he shouldn't push Kuro to tell him…that wasn't the right thing to do. He would tell him eventually…when the time was right. He knew he would.

Eirin tossed and turned in her bed, but whatever sleeping position she tried out, she just couldn't fall asleep. She was exhausted; her eyes were heavy and her mind was tired like hell, but something was keeping her awake. Some nagging thought at the back of her mind she just couldn't get rid of. She rolled onto her side and stared into the darkness. She had not yet become accustomed to her enchanted eyesight; being able to see in the dark was completely new to her. Beside her, she could make out the faint line of Kuro's figure. He had turned back into his human form, claiming it to be more comfortable to sleep in, and was already in some distant dreamland – or so she thought.

"Go to sleep, Eirin," he said, his voice a low sigh.

"You're still awake?" she asked, not able to keep the astonishment out of her voice.

"You're noisy." That roughly translated as "I'm worried about you so I decided to stay awake", but Eirin, despite being familiar with the vampire's behavior, did not fully comprehend the art of interpreting Kuro's words. She was under the impression that she had really kept him awake.

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

She looked at him. His back was turned towards her; the only visible feature peeking out from beneath the blankets was his blue mop of hair.

"Kuro?"

"Hmm…"

"Why did you leave?" Her words were accompanied by an emotional crack, barely audible but heart-wrenching for those who did hear it.

There was the noise of rustling, followed by an almost painful silence.

"Was…was it something I did?"

"No," the answer was quick and firm. "You didn't do anything wrong so there's no reason to blame yourself. I don't want you to think that way."

"Okay…but…uhm…," she fiddled with the covers, feeling slightly nervous about what she was going to ask. "Do you think you'll ever tell me the reason?"

"Probably will…but not now."

"I can live with that," she said, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Thank you…I've been thinking about it for a while now. Ever since you left I was blaming myself. And then we met again and well…with the whole vampire thing…I thought…it might have been because of that…I mean…it must have been hard to hide it from me. But you know…that didn't make me feel any better either, because…I could tell you everything, but the idea that you couldn't entrust me with your secret…I felt guilty. I thought I wasn't reliable enough or something…so thanks, I'm happy to know that it wasn't because of me or something I did. I feel better now."

"You're such a trouble," Kuro sighed, after which he turned into his cat form and jumped onto her bed.

"I know," Eirin muttered sleepily, as she pulled him close to her, engulfing him with her warmth. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her to that other world of peace and quiet. With the nagging thought erased from her mind, it did not take long before she sunk away in a subconscious state. As she walked the fine line between sleep and dreams, she was more than ever aware of the bond between her and Kuro. It was pulsing between them, like a strong heartbeat; an invisible thread spun around their hearts…connecting them forever…

Notes from the author

Hi! I'm back. It took me longer than I wanted though. I've been busy with university (second week but it's already busy as hell). I'll try to update at least once a week.

Also…I have not yet been able to personally thank a few people who have recently favourited and followed this story, but I will in the near future. Promise.

As for the chapter…what did you think of it? I would love to hear your thoughts on it.


	6. Reaching towards the light

**Part 6**

 **Reaching out towards the light**

When Eirin woke up she noticed that it was a beautiful day outside. She could tell just by looking at the light that fell down through the curtains and onto the ground, forming little circles of gold.

She looked down to the left; her gaze falling upon the little ball of fur, still sleeping soundly next to her pillow. A fond smile appeared on her lips as she watched him sleep. Kuro was absolutely adorable in his cat form. Really, she didn't get why Mahiru would get annoyed with him for sleeping too much. She felt she could watch him like that for hours and hours on end (not that she would ever admit that to anyone…and certainly not to Kuro himself). She softly stroke his head; her fingers combing through his fur in gentle motions. The vampire cat unconsciously leaned in to her touch, purring softly. Eirin smiled a gentle smile, continued the stroking for a bit longer and then decided to get up.

Her eyes darted back to the light on the floor and she felt her heart grow cold at the thought of never being able to walk in the sun again. She sat down on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest, looking at the beam of light and the dust being reflected. Millions of little particles shining brightly. She could see it very clear now. It made her realize that she had not appreciated the sun enough during her mortal life. She had taken it for granted and now she was paying the price for her ignorance…it was gone…out of her reach forever. She reached out a hand towards the light, not quite touching it. She wondered what would happen if she did. Would she just turn into a heap of ash? Or would it be more painful?

"What are you doing?" a familiar voice said next to her ear.

She jumped aside in shock, putting a hand on her rapidly beating heart.

"Kuro, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You can't die. You're immortal," he said lazily, as he folded his arms, forming a pillow for his head. He stared at her with those bright orbs of liquid red. She felt as if he was looking right into her mind. A frightening thought occurred to her that very moment…what if he could? She was his creation after all, he was her master…of sorts…it wasn't that impossible, right?

"Just to be sure…you can't read my mind, right?" Since I'm your subclass and stuff…"

Kuro looked genuinely surprised at that question. "Huh, no, of course not." He looked away, muttering to himself. "This girl, jeez."

"Hey, I'm right here, you now!" She folded her arms and huffed indignantly. "I was just wondering. There's lots of stuff I don't know so…I'm allowed to ask silly questions, okay?"

He was silent for a moment, as if he seemed to think over something, and then said: "Nah, I can't read your mind…and doing so would be too troublesome anyway."

"Aah...thought you would say that," she said with a sweatdrop.

"There is this thread that connects us though…which I guess is already quite unusual in itself. Generally speaking the bond between a servamp and his subclass is not that strong. It doesn't extend much further than the subclass vampire being obliged to serve."

"I see. That's rather one-sided, isn't it?"

He nodded in silent agreement.

"A thread you say...," she mumbled to herself as she mumbled over the rest of his words. So that's the feeling that washed over her last night. This warm comforting sensation of being connected to him. He had called it unusual…did that mean they were the only ones who had this kind of connection? She wondered what caused it.

"Now, what exactly were you doing?" Kuro asked, shifting the subject back to the initial topic.

"Thinking about how I did not appreciate the sun enough back when I was still human."

Kuro let out a sigh, rolled onto his side – as if to go to sleep again – and then said: "Don't touch the sunlight. You'll get hurt."

"What kind of hurt? What happens when I do touch it?"

"You'll get a nasty burn."

"That's all?" she asked incredulously.

"It's only a little bit of light," Kuro remarked. "Full exposure will kill you."

She looked at the circles once more and imagined the warmth of the sun on her skin. How she would love to feel it once more. She had to touch it…if she got burnt, then at least the desire to do so would be suppressed.

Hurt me, she thought. Edge the pain into my being as to remember me of the danger. She reached out a hand, hesitant of the action. Just a little bit further.

She closed her eyes the moment her fingers were to touch it, expecting an excruciating pain, equaling the terrible act of her skin being burned away.

There was nothing though.

"Huh?" she moved her hand, wiggling her fingers in the beam of light, feeling nothing but warmth. "Kuro?"

Kuro cracked open an eye, mumbling a "what?"

"I think you should see this."

He lifted his head to look at her, his smooth forehead immediately turning into a frown. "Ah, that's unexpected."

"How is this possible?"

"No idea."

"I've got to tell Mahiru!" Eirin yelled enthusiastically as she felt a sudden wave of excitement wash over her. She climbed to her feet and ran out of the room, knocking hard on Mahiru's door.

"Mahiru! Mahiru! Wake up. I've got to show you something!"

A sleepy looking Mahiru, who rubbed his eyes fervently, appeared in the doorframe and said: "Eirin, it's still a bit early…"

"I know, but you've got to see this," she said, as she only barely managed to refrain herself from jumping up and down. She grabbed Mahiru's wrist and dragged the sleepy boy to Kuro's room.

"Sit down and watch this," she said, as she crouched down next to the light, touching it without consequences. Mahiru's eyes widened as he processed what he had just witnessed.

"That's impossible! How is this possible?" He asked aloud, directing the questing at Kuro.

The servamp simply shrugged and said: "Beats me."

"How do you mean? You're the servamp here. How can you not know?"

Kuro sat up, his legs crossed and a slightly irritated look plastered on his face. "I told you…I've never had a subclass before. I don't know all that much about them." He sighed. "It's not that weird though…giving that Tsubaki's subclass can move around freely during the day as well."

"Yes, but Tsubaki is a special case…we don't know where he comes from," Mahiru replied. "Perhaps it's because you're the oldest? You're the original of the originals."

Kuro didn't respond to that. "For some weird reason, everything seems to be off about this girl," he though in silence. "Could Mahiru be right? Does it have to do with me? I'm the oldest, but does that mean anything?"

"How troublesome."

"Perhaps you're only immune to small beams of light?" Mahiru suggested. Eirin looked up at the curtains and said: "Well, there's only one way to find out." She grabbed one of them and was about to move it aside when Mahiru abruptly stopped her.

"Woah, are you sure about this? What if…"

"I just have to know. Somehow I feel that it will be just fine." She sent him an unwavering smile and then pulled. A huge amount of light fell down and Eirin automatically put up her arms to shield herself. She counted the seconds – one, two, three – but did not feel anything. No burning sensation of any sort, only a warm, tingly feeling where the sun kissed her pale skin.

"I can't believe this," she said as she got up and made a little dance of joy. "Absolutely unbelievable!"

She grabbed Mahiru's hands and swung him around with her, moving through the room in a waltz of pure happiness. The teen laughed when he saw how happy she was and gladly participated in the dance (even though he didn't know how to dance at all).

"Kuro, won't you join us?" she said to the vampire, who had sought out a nice shadowy spot in the corner of the room.

"Yay," he said as he put up his thumbs.

"Not really a dancer, are you?" Eirin chuckled, as she let go off Mahiru and moved over to Kuro, ruffling his hair in an affectionate matter.

"Ah, no. Dancing is tiring," he muttered, a bit affected by the gesture. "I'm happy for you though."

"I know," she said with a little wink.

Kuro felt how a blush spread over his cheeks and quickly looked away.

"So, uhm…Eirin. Now that you can come out during the day…uh…" Mahiru scratched the back of his neck and looked at her with sad brown eyes. "Does that mean you're going to leave us?"

Eirin stared at him as if paralyzed and then said with a slight sadness in her eyes: "The thought didn't occur to me. I don't know. It's probably easier for you guys if I return to live at my apartment."

"No! I mean…it's no problem if you want to stay here," Mahiru stated. "It's just that it would be logical for you to want to return to your place."

Eirin sat down next to Kuro and gently patted the place next to her. Mahiru understood what she meant by it and sat down, turning his head towards her as to indicate that she had his full attention.

"Actually…I would love to stay here for a while longer. I feel reassured by knowing that I have the two of you to rely on. There's so much I don't know. I prefer to have you two by my side for now," she said, as she grabbed their arms to reinforce her statement.

"That's set then," Mahiru said with a big smile. "We should get some of your stuff though."

"Ah, we could do that this afternoon," she said enthusiastically. "And we could go and buy an ice cream in the park afterwards!"

"Sounds great," Mahiru said.

"Will you buy me one too?" Kuro asked.

"Sure," she said with a huge smile. "Let's get going."

She grabbed Kuro's hand with both of hers and pulled him along, making a little pirouette of joy. Kuro didn't feel much for going outside in such a warm weather, but seeing Eirin so happy…he just didn't have the heart to go against it. He loved it when she smiled that soft contented smile of hers; he loved her enthusiasm (even though it was a trait he himself did not possess) and he loved the warmth of her small hands around his own. He didn't want her to let go.

Mahiru had noticed Kuro's surprise when Eirin had grabbed his hand and he just couldn't help but laugh inwardly. For some reason, the girl always managed to get under the servamp's skin. It made the teen wonder just how much Kuro cared for her…

 **Notes from the author**

And that's the end of part 6! Fairytail1230 wondered whether Eirin would be somewhat sun-resistant or not...and surprise, surprise...she turns out to be fully resistant! Being Kuro's subclass surely has its benefits.

Also...I received quite a lot of reviews, follows and favs last chapter and thus I would like to say thanks to all of you! I greatly appreciate any kind of support I can get. Please be so kind as to let me know what you thought of this chapter as well :)


	7. The looking glass of my past

**Part 7**

 **The looking glass of my past**

Eirin waited in the hallway and looked at the front door, curious about the sunny day that was being hidden from her view. She wanted to go out so badly that it was aching in her bones. She desperately wanted to see the light and feel the sun on her skin again. As the desire manifested itself deeper and deeper into her soul she started to feel extremely grateful that fate had decided to give her a second chance to enjoy a perfectly normal (but nonetheless beautiful) day like the one going on outside. Yes, she definitely planned to enjoy it to the fullest…starting with the walk to her apartment. It would do her good after having been inside for way too long.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Mahiru said, walking up to her. "Let's get going." Kuro was perched on his head. The tiny vampire cat looked a lot less enthusiastic than his Eve, but he didn't utter a word of complaint. Eirin smiled at both of them and turned the doorknob, ready to enjoy the fresh air and the sun. The light of day greeted her once more, embracing her like a lost child.

* * *

Eirin put the key in the lock and slowly opened the door to her apartment. As she stepped inside she felt a strange sensation wash over her. It felt as if she no longer belonged to this place. It was strewn with memories of her old life…good memories, bad memories…some of which the thought alone was enough to elicit a feeling of pure sorrow inside her heart. She took a step forward, hesitant at first, and then walked down the small hallway, passing by the mirror on her left. The pale girl in the looking glass stared at her as she stopped abruptly before it, staring at her with that familiar yet uncanny face of hers. Eirin looked at her reflection for a good two seconds. She had not changed much since the transformation. Smooth pale skin, dark blonde hair with some large curls and a pair of clear intense eyes. Their colour was different though…a dark red, dangerous and unfamiliar to herself that strongly contrasted with all the other features. She closed her eyes and turned away, walking into the living room.

Mahiru had watched her in silence. It must be hard for her, he thought silently, feeling pity for the girl. Kuro was resting on the teens head and although it might not have seemed like it, he too had watched the scene with all of his attention. He had noticed the sad look in her eyes and he couldn't help but think of what a hell she must be going through. He felt conflicted about it – if he was honest with himself he felt conflicted about her all the time. Torn between selfish feelings and genuine care.

"This place is really nice," Mahiru commented as he took a look around the living room.

"Thanks, I decorated it myself," Eirin said with a small smile. She walked into her room, opened her closet and picked up a bag, stuffing some clothes and some other useful things in it. Mahiru stood in the living room somewhat awkwardly and glanced around. A photo on a little cupboard caught his attention. He walked towards it and picked it up, studying it closely. The photo had undergone some altering by the light, but he could easily make out the two figures in it. A Japanese man and an outlandish looking woman, sitting next to each other on a bench in a park. The woman was pregnant; her hands protectively cupped her belly.

"Are these…"

"Her parents," Kuro said as he looked down at the photo. "She was born in Germany."

"Ah, I already thought something like that," Mahiru said, as things became clear to him. So that was the reason as to why Eirin looked outlandish. She took after her mom, not so much after her father. Mahiru had thought of the possibility of her having an outlandish mother or father, but he hadn't asked her about it yet. Well…there was no need to ask her now. And besides…it would only bring her pain.

"They died in an accident, she said." He thought of his own mother and felt a sting of pain in his heart. In a way, she was just like him. They had both been lost, falling out of the safe place their parents presence had created, before being caught by a relative while in free fall. A hand had been extended to them and they had grabbed it with all their might.

Mahiru's gaze fell on a picture of Eirin's aunt, standing next to that of her parents.

"Did you know her?" The teen asked Kuro, as he switched photos.

"She came by from time to time…nice lady…she didn't try to kill me with a broom."

"Ah yes…the incident with my uncle…" A drop of sweat slid down Mahiru's temple. "I remember that."

He put the photo back where it belonged and took a good look at the bookcase in the corner of the room. There were lots of books in a language he didn't understand and which he suspected to be German. Half of the books, of which he could read the titles, were about cats. "How to take care of a cat?" was one of the many titles on the subject. "Woah, she really went out of her way in taking care of you," he said, a bit impressed.

"She did," Kuro said, feeling a little tug at his heart.

Eirin suddenly appeared next to the pair and grabbed one of the books, swiftly looking at it before stuffing it in her bag.

"So…you were born in Germany, right?"

Eirin looked a bit surprised at that question, but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we moved here when I was eight years old. My dad never really could get used to Germany. I guess he felt out of place." She shrugged. "My mother and I…we loved Germany…it was our home…but we were not opposed to moving to Japan. If it made dad happy, it made us happy too. And that' how we ended up here…I've lived here ever since."

Mahiru nodded and pointed to one of the books. "This is in German, right? Just guessing because I can't understand a word of what's written here."

"Yes, it is. I like to keep my mother tongue alive. It's hard since…" Since there's no-one I can talk it too, she continued in her head. "Well…I used to read to Kuro…so that I wouldn't forget the sounds and stuff." She laughed at the happy memory.

"Those stories were quite good," Kuro said, as he recalled those moments.

"Did you even understand a word of what she was reading to you?"

"Well, actually, I do know German…and English…and a bunch of other languages. I'm not from around here, after all."

"What! You never told me that!" Mahiru yelled indignantly. "And you understand English? Really, why didn't you tell me? You could have helped me with my homework!"

"Yeah, well…that's exactly why I didn't tell you."

"You little…"

"Calm down, you two," Eirin said. "I'll help you with English, Mahiru. I'm quite good at it."

"Really? Thanks!" The teen said with a grateful smile, forgetting about bickering with Kuro almost immediately.

She waved it off and then said: "I've got my stuff. Let's go to the park."

* * *

"Ah, this is great," Eirin said, as she basked in the sun, enjoying the warmth on her skin. Kuro was enjoying himself considerably less, hiding in the shadowy spot in between Eirin and Mahiru, looking as if he was going to melt away at any given moment.

"Here, Kuro. Have some more ice cream," Eirin said, a hint of worry in her voice, as she put her tub of ice cream in front of him. "It will cool you down." The vampire cat gladly took her advice and took a bite.

"Agh, brain freeze," he said only seconds later, after which he put his paws over his head.

"You shouldn't be eating that fast," Mahiru said with a grin. "Really, you never learn."

"I know, I know," Kuro groaned.

Eirin lay down in the grass and said with a contented voice: "We should do this more often."

"Leave me out of it, please."

"I'll bring you a sunscreen next time, Kuro. No need to worry about melting away."

Mahiru laughed at the joke; a joyful sound filling the air. Kuro might have been a bit contrary to the idea at first, but the more time passed, the more he started to think that it wasn't that bad at all. He was happy knowing that Mahiru and Eirin were enjoying themselves. They deserved this kind of happiness every minute of the day…and while fate wasn't that good-tempered most of the time, he did relish in the moments where it was.

* * *

That evening, when they were back at Mahiru's place, Eirin started to feel slightly off. As she dressed up for the night, she felt a stroke of dizziness hit her. She caught herself from falling, seeking support from the wall.

What's happening? She thought, panic engulfing her as she stumbled back to Kuro's room. Kuro himself was sitting on his bed, playing a game on his PSP-console.

"Kuro, I don't feel well," she said, as she sank down onto her bed.

Kuro paused the game and looked up, a frown forming on his forehead. "Ah, it's the hunger. It's setting in."

"You mean…I have to drink blood." It was a statement, no question.

He nodded and looked a little bit troubled. "I can't let you drink Mahiru's blood though…even if he proposed it himself – which I know he would."

He seemed to consider something and then said: "My younger brother Lily has a lot of subclass…his Eve is friends with Mahiru. They might be able to help you out. But as for now, well…it can't be helped. Come over here."

She did as she was told and moved to sit next to him.

"Servamp blood doesn't substitute for that of humans, but it might take the hunger away for a while…until we've found a better solution." He pulled back the collar of his shirt, revealing the pale skin of his neck and shoulder.

Eirin felt how her cheeks flushed a bright red. "Waaah, I can't do that! I'll just bear with it," she said as she looked down, her face burning. Her body was begging for blood, but drinking it from Kuro seemed wrong on two completely different levels. Firstly, he was the fact that she didn't want to hurt anyone, including her vampire friend. And secondly, he was a man and there was no way in hell she would ever do something as embarrassing as biting him.

"Your face is red."

"I know," she murmured. "Ah, I just…I can't just go on and bite you. That's really…awkward."

"Well, it's not exactly a fun thing for me either," he said as he looked aside. "But I can't let you starve…you're my responsibility now."

She looked at him. So this was just as awkward for him as it was for her? Kuro was quite a shy person so she wouldn't be too surprised if it was. She thought about it and then realized that she was complaining about something that was completely irrelevant. Sharing something as intimate as a bite…she thought she would not be able to do it…but then again…it wasn't as if she wasn't close to Kuro. He frequently slept in her bed after all. In cat-form, yes, but underneath that furry façade, he was still the same person. Cuddling, snuggling, petting…as long as he was a cat she would allow herself to be that free…why couldn't she be that close with him while he was in human form?

"Okay," she said softly, letting go of her stubbornness. She moved to sit in between his legs, swinging her own legs around both of his sides, her arms draped around her neck. "I'm really dying right now, just that you know." She stared at a point behind his head; her face burning. This was quite the intimate position and for a second she couldn't help but think some really naughty thoughts.

God, if someone were to see them like this she would instantly die of shame. Kuro put his forehead against hers, a small blush on his own cheeks, and sneaked his arms around her small body. She tensed up at his touch, but then relaxed in his arms.

"You're such a trouble."

She let out a nervous chuckle. "I know." She carefully moved her arms from his neck to his back and held tightly onto his shirt. Kuro tilted his head back to give her better access to his neck. She gulped, sliding a finger over the pale skin, feeling the soft pulse underneath. The rhythmic beating lured her in. The promise of satisfaction, even if it was for a short while. She leaned down and pressed her lips to the spot; Kuro winced slightly in response. She didn't know how to bite until she tried. Her fangs – of which she hadn't been aware before – protruded out of nowhere and pierced through the smooth skin of Kuro's neck. The taste of blood flooded into her mouth and clouded her thoughts for a moment, as it lightened the pain in her throat and body. Kuro had mentioned that servamp blood did not substitute for human blood, and from the few times she had tasted her own blood, she could tell he was right. Something tasted different…there was a distinctive sweet touch to Kuro's blood…which made it dangerously addictive...the more she drank, the more she seemed to desire it. The thought alone sickened her and she suddenly pulled back her fangs, deciding that she had had enough. She licked some of the remaining blood away in a gentle manner. The little wounds already started to heal and Kuro himself didn't seem to have suffered from the bite. He straightened his neck and looked down at her with those tired, red eyes; a hint of worry in them.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

She looked up but refused to let go off him. "Better," she said with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kuro." She rested her head against his chest and hugged him tightly. The vampire's face flushed all red and there was no way he could hide it this time.

"Aww, your face is red," Eirin said, using the words he had said to her earlier on.

"What a pain," he grumbled, while looking away.

"Nah, it's cute," she said as she went back to hugging him. "It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thought this to be a little…awkward. It helped me overcome it. I…" she was hesitant about saying it out loud. "I…don't mind this though."

Kuro was silent for a moment, but then hid his face in her hair, pulling her closer. "Me neither," he mumbled almost inaudibly. "You're warm and soft. The perfect pillow." He lay down and pulled her with him.

"Kuro!" she squealed, as she came to lie on top of him. Her cheeks flashed a bright red once more. Her hands were pressed to his chest; she could feel his heartbeat beneath her fingers.

"Ssh, I'm tired," he said in a soft tone. She looked down on him, sighed and then laid down her head; giving up her futile attempts.

Although a bit of a compromising position, she secretly enjoyed the warmth and the closeness between them. Her eyes slowly drooped and her mind was lulled to sleep by the soothing presence of the thread they shared.

* * *

When Eirin opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark place she wasn't familiar with. She frantically looked around. Where was she? What happened to her?

"Happy birthday."

She turned around, a wave of panic hitting her at the sound of the unknown, scrappy voice. A black cat-like creature was standing behind her, staring at her with two button-like eyes and a creepy smile on its stitched mouth. She stared at it, unable to say something at first. After what looked like a century, she managed to spit out the words that had been stuck in her throat.

"It's not my birthday."

"It is, it is," the creature said as it spun around. "You are reborn after all, Shirai Eirin."

"Who are you?" she said, feeling slightly alarmed at the monster knowing her name. "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm a part of Kuro. The part responsible for his powers."

She looked around, seeing nothing else than obscure darkness, and then diverted her eyes back to the creature.

"We are inside Kuro's mind?"

The creature clapped its paws in appreciation and said:" Oh, you're good! It took the other one longer to work out!"

"The other one? You mean Mahiru?"

"The Eve, yes," the creature nodded. "But you're not the same. You're not an Eve. You're a subclass…yes…Kuro's subclass…the first one ever." The creature was talking to itself now. "But you're not supposed to be here. Only Eves share this kind of connection with a servamp. You're quite the mystery."

"Ah, no…I'm not. I'm just Eirin. Really…there's nothing mysterious about me."

"Still, there are things you prefer to keep hidden, right? Things that are too painful to acknowledge?"

Her heart grew cold at hearing those words. She shot the creature a dark glance and said: "You know nothing about me."

"You're the same like him," the little monster squealed, sounding absolutely delighted. "Hiding away all these petty little secrets in the darkest parts of your souls."

"Kuro…has secrets?" she asked a bit surprised, picking up on what he was saying.

"Haha, of course he has. But you didn't know that, did you?" Do you think he trusts you, girl? He doesn't even trust his Eve far enough to tell him about it…so why would he tell you? Really…who are you to him?"

Eirin felt a little sting in her heart when he told her that. She'd never thought Kuro would have secrets, but then again…in all those centuries of life, there had to have been a few things he would have liked to forget. Painful things that weighed down on your heart and which you tried to suppress with all your might, hoping that –eventually - you'd be gifted with blank bliss.

Where do I fit in? she thought to herself. She had known Kuro for quite some time…well…sort of. And although they were pretty close (as physically close as a male and female friend could be), their relationship wasn't strong nor lengthy enough for Kuro to tell her his darkest secrets. But honestly, she had never expected him to do so. Everyone had things they wanted to keep for themselves and she was perfectly fine with that.

She looked at the creature; a piercing look in her red eyes.

"You're wrong," she said; a fire burning deep inside of her. "I haven't know him long enough for him to trust me so it's no surprise that he doesn't entrust me with all his secrets. And really, I don't expect him to do so either. If he wants to tell me then I'm sure he will do so on his own accord. I, for sure, will not push him into doing so. He's a dear friend and that's not what friends do!"

She stared at him with that unwavering piercing gaze; her heart filled with anger. She was sure this demon had some influence on Kuro himself and there was no way that influence was positive. The negative aura that hung around the creature…it was a clear sign that Kuro wasn't as carefree as his usual laziness suggested.

The monster laughed; a scrapping sound filling the air. "Fiery persona you have! I'm curious as to what will happen to you."

"What do you mean?" she asked; a fist balling at her side. She was sick of him talking in riddles.

"Do you trust Kuro, girl?"

"I do."

Her answer was a quick one, but it was firm nonetheless. Kuro had been the one to turn her into a vampire. He had taken an ending life and replaced it with a new one, full of uncertainties and terrifying things, but also with exciting experiences, lovely people and a warmth she never thought she'd experience again. There might have been a moment where she had wanted to give up; where she had blamed him for putting her through hell, but it had lasted only a few minutes. In her darkest hour, he and Mahiru had extended their hands to her and she had grabbed them with all her might; adorning them with her trust as she did. She trusted them with her life…and one day, she would be worthy enough of theirs. That she promised herself.

"It becomes you. Trust." The creature said, as it jumped around her. "But are you sure you want to trust him? He tends to mess up really badly."

"People aren't perfect. We all have our faults, secrets and sins. It's who we are." She looked around and then said: "Now get me out of here before I get angry."

The creature stepped back, a little intimidated by the cold in her voice. "As you wish, Shirai Eirin."

* * *

When she woke up, she found herself cuddling with Kuro. One of his arms was resting on her waist, the other securely wrapped around her head, which rested against his shoulder and was tucked beneath his chin. Her own hands fisted his shirt in a grip to never let go and one of her legs was draped over his hip.

Wait, what?

She let out a soft sound of surprise, mixed with embarrassment, as her cheeks flashed a bright tomato-red.

God, this just became awkward again.

She tried to move her leg, but failed miserably at it. Kuro's grip on her body tightened; she didn't even have to see his face to know that he was awake.

"What are you doing?" he asked sleepily, as he shifted a bit; his lips pressing against her ear.

"Waah, I'm sorry! I must have moved while I was asleep!" she said quickly, feeling another heat wave cross her cheeks.

"Huh? Oh, I don't mind."

"You…don't?" Her voice was quiet.

"Nah, I like cuddling…it's better while in human form. Could get used to it," he muttered; his breath tickling her skin.

"Uh…okay," she said a bit awkwardly; not sure how to respond to that.

"What's with you saying my name though?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, immediately alarmed.

"You kept saying my name in your sleep."

"Waah, I did?!" she said as she abruptly shot up, detangling herself from Kuro. Had she said his name out loud when she had been talking to the demon?

"Are you alright?" Kuro asked, a hint of worry in his eyes when her face turned an alarming shade of red.

"It's just really embarrassing! Please don't think that I'm a pervert or something!"

A mental image of Lily taking off his clothes appeared into Kuro's mind. He quickly shook his head to discard the disturbing picture, sat up and then said: "Ah, you're not a pervert, believe me." He patted her head in a soothing manner and went to lay down again, his arms folded behind his head.

She felt a bit better in knowing that he didn't think of her as crazy. She looked down at the kind-hearted vampire and noticed he was on the verge of drifting off to sleep once more.

"Kuro, don't go back to sleep now."

"Five more minutes," he mumbled.

"Well, that's a pity. I was about to make you breakfast. But okay…"

Kuro shot up, grabbed her wrist and said with a renewed kind of energy: "I've changed my mind."

* * *

 **Notes from the author**

I'm sorry that it took me so long to update! I've been (and still am) busy with university life...I'm trying to combine fanfiction with quite a busy schedule so it might very well be that my update will be delayed from time to time. As for this - rather long- chapter...I'm quite sure that it will get mixed reactions. I loved writing this part, but I guess some people will consider it to be too AU. Let me know what you think of it ;) I'm dying to hear your opinion!


	8. Meeting the boys

**Part 8**

 **Meeting the boys**

Eirin hummed to herself as she made breakfast for the two hungry boys sitting at the table. She was happy with these kind of moments…moments were normality seemed to have the upper hand and where she could forget about the drastic change that had happened to her in the last few days. She made three bowls of rice and some miso soup to accompany it and put them down on the table.

The boys, each in their own way, thanked for the meal and dug in. Eirin herself was a bit hesitant about eating at first, fearing that she would experience the same bland taste as before. She took a bite and was more than happy to discover that she was wrong. All of the flavours had returned and she could finally enjoy human food again. Perhaps it had to do with drinking blood? She thought. If she drunk it, her taste returned…if she didn't, everything went bland. She thought back to the night before and felt her cheeks heat up. She couldn't tell Mahiru about it, could she? But she had to bring it up somehow…she had to let him know that she needed to drink some blood from time to time.

"Are you okay? Your face is red," Mahiru suddenly remarked.

Kuro turned to look at her, an amused look in his eyes.

"Uh, it's nothing…," she said quickly. "Uhm…I was thinking…what am I supposed to do when I need blood?"

Mahiru looked at her, deep in thought. It seemed as if he had completely forgotten about the tiny little fact that she was a vampire.

"Thought of asking the brat," Kuro said, before Mahiru could even think of offering himself. She let out a small inaudible sigh of relief, happy that Kuro had intervened.

"You mean Misono?" The teen put a hand to his chin, considering the thought.

"Ah yes, Lily has quite a lot of subclass…if I remember it well, the maids take care of them. We could ask them to…foresee in your needs."

"That makes it sound really creepy," she said with a frown in his direction.

"Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to." Mahiru said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Anyway, we're meeting up with the others tonight, so we can ask Misono about it."

"The others?" she asked as she took another sip of her soup.

"My younger brothers and their Eves," Kuro enlightened.

"Ah, I remember you guys telling me about that. You're the oldest of seven servamps, right? And you each represent a sin…you're sloth…who are the others?"

"Pride and lust."

"And their Eves…Misono Alicein and Tetsu Sendagaya," Mahiru added. "We're meeting up at Tetsu's place tonight. There are some things we need to have a talk about."

"You, for example," Kuro said; the amused look still present in his eyes.

"Me?" Eirin felt nervous all of a sudden.

"We have to introduce you, of course," Mahiru said with a look in Kuro's direction. "But there are some other things as well…we really need to inform them about the Greed pair."

"The Greed pair?"

"My annoying little brother and his crazy Eve," Kuro said, as he laid his head down on the table.

"We would like them to join us to fight against Tsubaki."

"Tsubaki?" She was gobsmacked now. These guys were fighting someone?

"Oh, God…with all the things going on I totally forgot to tell you about it!" Mahiru said, shocked that he had forgotten about something of such a great importance.

"Do we have to tell her?" Kuro murmured without looking up. "She's a trouble magnet after all. Wouldn't want her to get hurt, right?"

"Hey, I'm right here, Kuro!" she said with a little wave of her hand. "It's sweet that you're worried, but I want to know!"

"He does have a point, you know."

"Mahiru!"

"Okay, okay…I'll tell you," Mahiru said, heaving his hands in defense.

*Time Skip

Eirin was all ears when Mahiru told her the story. She kept silent, only interjecting a question or two from time to time. At the end, she stretched a bit and said: "So, some psychopath vampire with weird mood swings, who says that he's the eight servamp, is trying to kill you all and you have no idea as to what his motive is?"

"That sums it up pretty well," Mahiru said, some sweat drops gliding down his face.

"And in order to fight him, you want to convince Kuro's siblings to help you out. You already have lust's and pride's help…"

"Yeah, but we still have to convince Greed…he might be a great asset," Mahiru said, the thoughtful look re-appearing in his brown orbs. "But first things first…we have to tell the others about having met the Greed pair…and like Kuro said…we have to introduce you to them as well."

"Don't make me feel any more nervous than I already feel."

"You'll be fine," Mahiru said with a reassuring smile.

*Time Skip

That evening the threesome made their way to the hot springs. The place itself was huge and spacey.

"Ah, I would love to spend my holiday here!" Eirin said in adoration. "It's so calm and relaxing!"

"Me too. Why don't we just stay here and ignore everything else?" Kuro piped in.

"Well, this is serious business, so please refrain from seeing this as some kind of trip."

"Spoiler," Kuro muttered, who was resting on top of Mahiru's head.

They ringed a bell and were met by a really tall, blonde guy. Eirin had to tilt back her neck to look him in the eye.

"Ah, big brother Mahiru," he said by means of a greeting. "Come right in. Shorty was already wondering when you would show up."

"Shorty?" Eirin had to suppress a snort.

"Good to see you, Tetsu," Mahiru said with a smile, as he entered. Eirin followed after him, walking shortly behind. Kuro had turned around on Mahiru's head and looked down at her. He stood up, stretched and then said: "Catch."

He jumped and Eirin caught him just in time.

"Crazy, what are you doing?" she asked softly. Kuro climbed up her shoulder, nuzzling his head against her neck.

"Making sure you don't die of nervousness."

"I'm not nervous," she stated in a soft hiss.

"Yes, you are. It's showing on your face."

"Huh, really!?" she asked, a bit alarmed. Normally, she didn't have any trouble meeting new people…sure she wasn't the most sociable person on earth, but she wasn't asocial either. But now…her stomach was turning around in weird painful twists…maybe she was a tad nervous.

What if they didn't approve of her?

"Relax, there is nothing to worry about," Kuro said, giving her a reassuring nudge with his head.

"That's sweet, thanks," she said as she reached out a hand to pat his head.

"Hi, guys! Sorry I'm late."

They arrived in a big room, which resembled a traditional Japanese living room. At the table in the middle three very different persons were seated. A boy with purple hair (of which a strand was standing up) and purple eyes carrying a serious expression within them. Then a tall slender man with a somewhat feminine constitution and a boy that still looked like a kid, dressed up in vampire clothing.

She stared at the trio for a while, before she realized that they were staring right back at her. She quickly diverted her eyes to Mahiru, sending him a somewhat panicking look.

"Who's the girl, Shirota?" The purple haired boy was the first one to speak up. He folded his arms over his chest; his face taking on an even graver look than before.

"Ah, he's going to be a difficult one," she thought silently.

Kuro jumped down her shoulder and turned back into a more human form, standing beside her.

"This is Shirai Eirin. She currently lives with us…she's Kuro's subclass."

"Huh?" The child and the tall man looked as if they had been struck by a lightning bolt. "Well, that's unexpected," the tall one said with a sweatdrop. "I thought you said…"

"What I said remains….she's the only exception," Kuro said. "I'm not turning anyone ever again."

"Ah, you must be quite special, Eirin-chan. For my brother to go through such a trouble. It's good to meet you," the man said with a kind smile. "I'm Snow Lily, the servamp of Lust…all of love…now…since this is a special occasion, shouldn't I be taking of my…" The man was hit on the head by the ahoge kid, as he yelled: "Don't go stripping, you pervert!"

Eirin smiled a somewhat awkward smile and said: "Ah, nice to meet you too."

"I'm sorry. This guy really has a thing about taking his clothes off…it's his disposition…," the kid said, still irritated. "I'm Alicein Misono. Lust's Eve." Eirin shook hands with him and then diverted her eyes to the other kid, who was keen to catch her attention. "And I'm Hugh Algernon the third, also Old Child. The Servamp of Pride. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Shirai." This little guy was a servamp? "This big guy over here is my Eve. Tetsu Sendagaya. Do you want to hear how I met him?"

"Hell no," everyone said in unison.

"Ah, perhaps later," Eirin said with a small, but gentle smile.

"I'll hold you to it," Hugh said.

"Sure," she said, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. 

An indefinite amount of time later Eirin had started to become used to the group and its -somewhat- weird members. At first she had kept herself at a certain distance, sitting in between Kuro and Mahiru and keeping quiet as the latter told his friends about the incident with the Greed pair and about how they had found her in that dark alleyway after she had been viciously attacked by an unknown person. An attack she could not remember...it didn't matter how hard she thought of it, she just couldn't get past the total blackness that obscured her mind.

What had happened to her before Mahiru and Kuro had showed up? Sure…they had told her what had happened…but how had she experienced the whole ordeal? Who had attacked her…and why? Mahiru had suggested that, because of the fact that her neck had been ripped apart, it was reasonable to assume that whoever had attacked her, had been of a vampiristic nature.

Somehow she felt that to be true. It was not uncommon that she found herself alone on the streets when it was already dark outside. She often went to the grocery store a few blocks away, after not having been able to do the groceries during the day (because of her work). In all those days she had never felt the city to be threatening in any way. Some vampire must have thought of her as an easy meal and attacked her…leaving her to die on the streets…alone and miserably.

She did not remember the pain and the agony she had been put through. The darkness in her mind was like a thick wall, shielding her from all the traumatic experiences that lied hidden in her subconscious. She dreaded the moment the wall would break down…releasing everything she couldn't and didn't want to remember.

Hearing about the attack slightly upset her, but she didn't give expression to those feelings. It was part of the story Mahiru had to inform the others upon and thus she listened in silence to the event she had been (and in a way had not been) part of.

Misono and the others listened attentively, the expressions on their faces growing more serious with every word that left the teen's mouth.

Kuro was the only one that wasn't playing attention (which wasn't that much of a surprise, really). Eirin looked at him, diverting her thought towards him instead of the story. For some reason that helped her to get rid of the anxiety she felt within her. The thread between them engulfed her in a warm fuzzy feeling, washing away the fear and making her feel a bit drowsy…as if she could sink away in a comfortable sleep. She wondered if that feeling stemmed from Kuro's presence rubbing of on her or whether it was just part of the thread itself. How did he experience her presence? Did it feel different from the way she felt it? Less drowsy perhaps?

Kuro, who had laid his head on the table, turned to look at her; his red orbs a bit worried. "It's okay," she tried to convey with a gentle look.

Mahiru had finished telling the whole of the story and then said in a serious voice: "Misono, I have a question to ask with regard to Eirin. Being a vampire, she needs blood from time to time. Perhaps you could convince one of your maids to…help her out?"

Eirin felt a little awkward at the way he asked that question. Misono shot her a look. "Yeah, I'll ask them. No problem."

"Thanks," she muttered quietly.

"It's a bit weird though, that you haven't experienced your first hunger yet…since you've been a vampire for what…three days now? Most of Lily's subclasses get hungry after two days."

Yes…definitely the troublesome guy-type. She got why Kuro called him bastard-chan. Really, why did he have to bring it up at all?

Mahiru turned towards her; his eyes a mix of confusion and worry. "How about that, Eirin? Do you feel hungry?"

"Aaah, not really….," she said, sweat gliding down her face. "Mahiru, there's something I have to tell you."

"I gave her some of my blood," Kuro said without lifting his head.

"You did what?" Mahiru deadpanned. "Why?"

"Didn't want her to starve?"

"You could have told me about it. I could have offered you some of my blood."

"Yeah, that's exactly why we didn't tell you," Eirin said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mahiru. It's really kind of you, but I can't stand the thought of having to hurt you…even Kuro wasn't too fond of the idea."

"Ah, don't say that," Kuro said with a groan.

Mahiru looked at the two of them and then said: "Okay, I get that…I guess…but you can tell me when you have a problem. I want you to know that you can rely on me and that I'll try my best to help you out when you need it."

"I know…thanks," she said with a grateful smile.

"So…about drinking servamp blood…what does it do? Aren't you supposed to drink human blood only?"

"It's an uncommon practice since servamp blood is less sufficient in terms of…well…let's call it…nutrients," Hugh pondered. "But I guess it will do the trick for a short amount of time. How do you feel now?" The question was directed at Eirin.

"Quite well, thanks."

"The effect will probably last a few more days, but I wouldn't make a habit out of drinking my brother's blood…if it's the only thing you drink, the effects will gradually decrease...until there is no effect left at all. In order to stay healthy, you have to vary your diet with human blood."

"Vary your diet…that sounds so wrong," Eirin muttered. She remembered the addictive quality of Kuro's blood. It made her want to taste it again…she wanted to sink her teeth in that soft skin of his.

She blushed and looked down, so that no-one would notice the red glow on her face. Why did she think of something like that?

"I heard it strengthens the bond between servamp and subclass," Lily remarked. "Allowing a subclass to drink your blood…it's quite the intimate act." He added with a slightly suggestive smile.

"Don't go down that road, pervert," Misono warned; his hand balling into a fist.

Eirin's face had turned into the colour of a tomato and she felt as if her head was going to explode. "Don't…suggest…I…uh…"

"Don't worry, Eirin. He's just joking."

"Am I?" Lily said with a knowing smile…a little bit too knowingly.

Kuro muttered something that sounded a lot like: "Can't deal." And at the moment she really felt tempted to say it herself.

"Me neither," she said, as he rested her head on the table.

"Aah, let's talk about something else…there's another thing I really have to tell you guys," Mahiru said, leaning forward onto the table.

"Can't we have a bath first? And something to eat? I'm starving," Kuro mumbled, looking up.

"A dive in the springs would be nice," Eirin said…day-dreaming about the warm water. She would love to relax for some time.

Mahiru was perplexed and not too happy with that way of thinking. "Really, guys,…I told you this was a serious…"

"Actually, I'm not contrary to my brother's suggestion. A warm bath would be nice," Hugh said. Lily nodded in agreement.

Mahiru felt like hitting himself in the face. "Okay…fine…"

*Time skip

Eirin stood on the edge of the spring, watching the steam coming out of the water in little white clouds. She loosened her robe and let it fall to the ground, feeling the cool summer breeze stroke her skin, giving her goosebumps. She entered the waters, careful not to slip. The warmth embraced her figure and put her mind to rest. She sunk away, feeling as if she could fall asleep at any given moment. It felt good to relax…she bet Kuro thought the same…

*Time skip

When they had finished taking a bath, they had finished taking a bath, they gathered in the living room once more. Tetsu had switched on the tv to watch the news while drying Hugh's hair with a towel. Eirin absentmindedly stared at the screen. Her mind was a little bit too tired to progress anything that had happened in the world. She glanced at kitty Kuro, who was resting in her lap; purring contently as her fingers softly stroked his head.

Suddenly, Mahiru jumped up and said: "That guy! That's the guy I met. He's the Eve of Greed!"

Eirin turned her head to see what he meant. The news programme was still going, showing the image of a young man. She couldn't help but notice that he was quite handsome. His hair was raven black, with exception of one white lock, and he had intense blue eyes that carried a rather grave expression within them. This is a person you don't want to mess with, she thought silently. According to the news, the guy was a genius pianist from Austria named Licht Jekylland Todoroki.

"Of Greed, you say?" Hugh said in response to Mahiru. "That's too bad. The boy won't live for much longer."

"What do you mean, Hugh?" Eirin asked with a light frown.

Hugh's face darkened considerably. "Lawless kills his Eve once he grows tired of them. He's the only one among the servamps who does such a thing. He's already broken. It's better not to get involved with him."

Mahiru seemed absolutely horrified at that statement, but it was only visible on his face for a mere second. It was soon replaced by a look of pure determination. "All the more reason to talk to Licht then."

Notes from the author

Hi! I'm back with an update! It has taken me ages to do so (and, as much as I regret to say this, it might not be the last time something like this happens.) I can't tell when I'll be able to update. I thought it would be possible to combine fanfiction with university work, but it has proven much harder than I initially thought. Please be patient with me. I'll do my best to update as soon as possible.

Also…what did you think of this chapter? This is where my own storyline catches up with the actual storyline…I've decided I'll be using the anime as a reference point for dialogue and stuff.

I also would like to thank everyone who has favourited, followed or commented (on) this story so far. I have not been able to personally thank everyone so I thought I'd do it here. THANK YOU guys. You are amazing!


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